Summary
In order to increase the effectiveness of the agricultural extension service a study has been made of the way new farm practices are communicated to the farmers. This paper discusses some statistical problems which arose in that study, especially the construction of a scale for the measurement of the adoption of new practices by the farmers, and some scales for the influence which each farmer has among his colleagues, the use of tests of significance and the analysis of the relationship between different variables by factor analysis. In addition the possibility to stimulate communication processes is mentioned.